Tuesdays with Dorie BWJ: Buttermilk Crumb Muffins

What a weird week last week was. Weird and scary…and not just because of wacky Halloween costumes. We count ourselves very lucky at our house, and if you live on the East coast, I hope the same is true at yours. Some minor disruptions and inconveniences were all that Sandy really dealt us and our neighborhood. Still, it was nice to have something comforting to bake after just emerging from the supposed storm of the century.

Like the name says, Marion Cunningham’s Buttermilk Crumb Muffins are made with buttermilk and have a little crumb on top. They also have some warm spices and brown sugar. They were tasty, simple and homey. Nothing that will knock your socks off, but we ate them all just a few minutes out of the oven. Maybe you don’t always need your socks knocked off at breakfast anyway, right? The original recipe makes sixteen muffins and uses all shortening as the fat. When I said we ate them all, I should clarify (so you don’t think my husband and I are complete pigs) that I made one-quarter recipe for just four muffins, using 2 tablespoons of butter and one whole egg. I went a little heavy on the spices and a little scant on the sugar.